Skel
Was a Kzin spacer and pirate who served as K’zaar’s first mate during the first Man-Kzin war. He died around 2435 C.E. at which time he was living at the Lord Templemount inn in Thoma'stown on Wunderland under the assumed mononym, “the Captain.” It is unclear if Skel had ever actually earned the title of Captain or under what circumstances, although he claimed himself to have had the right to it. Background Not much is known of the history of Skel before he came to reside at the Lord Templemount, only a few months before his death. Skel himself was not forthcoming with many details and those who knew him during his pirate career were not necessarily trustworthy sources themselves. What little is known was recorded by the human Peter Cartwright, whose mother owned the Lord Templemount during the time of Skel’s stay. Prior to that time, Skel had served as a first mate on the pirate Captain K’Zaar’s ship, Warrior Beast, alongside the blind Kzin, Dog, Claws and Silver. Description By 2435 C.E. Skel was an old and grizzled spacer. He was short, unkempt, and his fur had long since faded into a muddled combination of brown and dark gray. One of his claws had been replaced with a prosthetic and his right ear was mostly missing. In addition to his battered appearance he suffered from a heart condition that was exacerbated by his addiction to rum (an oddity among the Kzin). Despite these ailments, Skel remained a formidable warrior all the way up until his death. While he did carry a needler on his thigh, Skel’s propensity to use the w’tsai and cutlass were further evidence of a life spent fighting shipboard. Normally tight-lipped, Skel nevertheless enjoyed crooning songs in a peculiar Kzin dialect when ever he would get drunk, which was often. For someone who sought anonymity under regular circumstances, Skel seemed to enjoy the attention that his singing brought from the other customers at the inn. Another peculiarity of Skel’s personality was that he openly despised Kdaptists. While the cult was not overly popular among all strata of Kzin society on Wunderland, the order was rarely met with such hostility. It is not certain why Skel had such a strong dislike for the Kdaptists, but it may have been a reaction to the changes that he saw in Kzin society that seemed to be caused by the teachings of the cult. Treasure Planet In 2435 C.E. the Captain was visited by two of his former shipmates on successive nights. The shock caused by their appearance, in addition to his continued heavy drinking, ended up being too much for Skel, and he died shortly after the second visit. Before his passing though, he entrusted Peter Cartwright with the secret of Garth, also known as the Treasure Planet, as well as an alien artifact that utilized interlocking geometric shapes. It was thanks to Skel’s information that an expedition under the command of Orion-Riit was launched to Garth in an attempt to recover the treasure buried there.Hal Colebatch & Jessica Q Fox - Treasure Planet (novel) References: Category:Known Space characters Category:Kzin